Leftover Prime Rib Roast Beef Stew (crock pot or slow cooker recipe)

Now that Christmas is over, many of us have leftover prime rib sitting in the refrigerator. What to do with the leftover meat slices is easy… you can make french dip sandwiches, or just reheat and serve another meal of prime rib. But what about the rib bones and meat in-between (the rib plate that is cut away from the roast)? These rib bones have amazing flavor and are a great ingredient to use for another tasty meal! You can make a wonderful beef soup with these bones and meat… but the leftover ribs are also a great base for making beef stew!

The best part of this stew is that you can also use up your leftover au jus and wine, and serve the stew with a dollop of leftover creamy horseradish! You can also customize the recipe by adding whatever veggies you have on hand or prefer to use. I like to keep it simple with beef stew by just using onions, carrots, and potatoes… but leftover celery (from a crudite platter) and other veggies (mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, etc.) can also work well. If you have more delicate veggies to add, don’t add them to the crock pot until the last 30 minutes of cooking. Hardier veggies (root vegetables like onions, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.) can be added in the beginning.

Use the leftover rib bones and meat/fat trimmings from a standing rib roast (a.k.a. "prime rib").

2-3 rib bones leftover from prime rib

any meat scraps/fat trimmings leftover from prime rib

1/2 – 2 c. leftover au jus

1/2 to 1 c. leftover wine (red or white)

7-8 c. water

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 onion

4 medium sized potatoes

4 carrots

3-6 sprigs of thyme

salt, pepper to taste

1/2 c. flour + 1 c. water

1. Save the ribs from a leftover standing rib roast (a.k.a. “prime rib”). Cut between the ribs to separate them into individual pieces of ribs (this makes it easier to fit in the pot, and also helps release more flavor from the ribs since more surface area is exposed to the cooking liquid.)

2. Place the ribs and any leftover meat scraps or fat trimmings into the bottom of a large crockpot/slow cooker. (I usually use Reynold’s slow cooker liners to save time on cleanup – just throw away the mess instead of scrubbing the crock!) Dump in any leftover au jus, plus any leftover wine. (Today I used leftover white wine… but I often will use red wine too. Leftover au jus will add a lot of flavor to the stew – so use it if you have it, but you can leave it out if you don’t have any.)

3. Peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut the potatoes, carrots, and onions into chunks.

4. Pour the water into the crockpot, add the bouillon cubes and the thyme. (If you have beef broth – you can substitute with that instead of water and bouillon cubes.)

5. Add the potatoes, carrots, and onions. Sprinkle with a 1/4 tsp. or so of black pepper and about 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover, and set to low for 8-10 hours, or high for 6 hours. (If you prefer to do this on the stove top – you can – just simmer the meat/bones with the liquid in a pot over mediun/low for about 1-2 hours, then add the veggies in the last hour of cooking.)

6. Remove the meat trimmings and rib bones from the stew and set aside to cool. Remove any “twigs” from the thyme if you find them.

Mix 1/2 c. flour + 1 c. water with the back of a spoon until smooth to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the stew, re-cover, and continue cooking on high about 20-30 minutes (this will help thicken the stew).

7. Meanwhile, when the meat and rib bones are cool, separate the meat from the bones/fat. Discard the bones and fat, add the meat back into the pot.

8. Once the stew has thickened, taste and correct the seasonings with additional salt/pepper if needed. Serve with a side of steamed rice or leftover garlic bread/dinner rolls, add a dollop of leftover creamy horseradish (if you like), and enjoy!

I had some left over Prime Rob from Christmas that I tossed in the freezer, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with it.

It came this () close to being turned into chili. I am so glad I found this recipe. It is delicious. My husband who would rather eat a steak through a bums beard than eat stew LOVED this. I made some bacon and jalapeño pepper cornbread and called it dinner.

I also had some leftover rib roast from when my family came in for Christmas. I chopped everything and filled the crock (and put it in the fridge) the night before and just took it out in the morning to put the liquid in and set it to cook while I was at work. Super easy, turned out tasty. I did add garlic and a couple other spices. Only downside is it’s just me, and I feel like I’m going to have stew for the rest of forever now haha; think this would freeze okay?